December 15, 2006 — It's hard to concentrate on work when you've got two Raggedy Ann dolls dressed up as Trojan cheerleaders staring you in the face.  Or a pair of stuffed cats who will meow in harmony to Jingle Bells if you squeeze their tummies. Or a brand new hot pink "Hello, Kitty" popcorn popper

Rosa Cervantes, who works in the dean's office, is trying to keep her wildly successful toy drive under control.

just waiting to be taken out of its box and tested.

But then, who ever said the holidays were easy?

Rosa Cervantes knows. She's trying to keep her wildly successful toy drive under control.  But every now and then, one of those dolls falls out of the box just as someone important is walking down the hallway toward the dean's office. 

Whether it's a toy drive or a box of velvety chocolate candies in the office, everyone seems to be getting into the proper holiday spirit. And philanthropy seems to be sweeping the campus this year.  Cervantes' charity — Hannah's Children's Homes — is just one of thousands in Los Angeles that will benefit from toy drives, free meals, fundraising and even some good old fashioned holiday yuletide carolling come Hannaukkah or Christmas Day.

“It brings me a lot of joy and happiness to be able to make someone else's holidays a little happier, " Cervantes said.

Cervantes is the faculty and academic affairs coordinator in the the dean's office at the Viterbi School.